Top 5 eSIM providers for Thailand travel: Compared

In this post, we discuss why eSIMs are beneficial for tourists to Thailand, best eSIM plans and providers. Then, highlight the most important information as well as features so you can decide whether it is right for you.

I. What is an eSIM for Thailand travel?

What eSIM is in general? 

eSIM is a digital version of the traditional physical SIM card, which is directly embedded into the motherboard of a mobile device. Essentially, eSIM allows users to access the internet, make calls, send text messages, and use other mobile services just like a traditional SIM card without the need to physically insert a SIM card.

For travel purposes, most users only need mobile data, so eSIMs for travel are mostly data-only eSIMs. Customers can still make calls and send text messages to their loved ones and friends using mobile applications like WhatsApp, Skype, and others.

II. Why use an eSIM when traveling to Thailand? Pros and Cons

Using eSIM for your trip to Thailand brings many outstanding benefits, such as:

• Convenience: You can buy eSIM 100% online from anywhere in the world. No need to wait for shipping, queue at the airport to buy a physical SIM card, or wait for activation.
• Cost-saving: The price of eSIM plans may vary depending on the eSIM provider, but generally, eSIM is cheaper than using data roaming.
• Flexibility: One mobile device can use multiple eSIM plans, but only one eSIM plan can be activated at a specific time.

However, like many other things, eSIM also has downsides, which are typical:

• Few compatible devices: because eSIM uses new technology, not all phones are compatible with eSIM. Normally, only high-end phones can use eSIM.
• Few carriers support: currently, there are still few carriers providing mobile services for eSIM. Fortunately, 3 out of 4 major carriers in Thailand already offer prepaid eSIMs for visitors to Thailand.
• Most are data packages: Thailand travel eSIM packages are currently mostly eSIM data packages, which do not allow calling, listening or texting via regular phones.
• Difficulty transferring devices: in an emergency, transferring an eSIM to another device is more troublesome than with a traditional physical SIM.

III. Where to buy the best eSIM for Thailand travel?

You can buy eSIM online from the mobile network providers in Thailand that offer eSIM for tourists, such as DTAC, TrueMove, AIS, or from eSIM providers like Thailandesim.com, Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, etc.

Should I choose eSIM from mobile network providers in Thailand?

To have the best network speed experience, eSIMs from mobile network providers in Thailand is the most suitable choice. Theoretically, when using the services of Thai mobile network providers directly, you will not have to roam through an intermediary, so the network speed is optimal.

However, this does not mean that using eSIM for travel from other agencies will have slow speeds. In reality, some Thai network providers have limited network speeds (mainly for prepaid packages) with specific packages or with all packages to serve the “optimal” goal.

So, how many Thai network providers offer prepaid eSIM to customers? 

Currently, AIS, DTAC, and TrueMove H provide prepaid eSIM for tourists, but the downside is that you have to provide personal information when purchasing (in accordance with Thai law regulations). This process can be time-consuming.

What about buying Thailand eSIM from eSIM providers?

As mentioned above, there are currently many eSIM providers for tourists to Thailand on the market. The advantages of this method are:

• No need to show any identification
• Have more choices than buying directly from carriers because these providers often work with multiple carriers at the same time to provide customers with a seamless experience and at the best cost.

Thus, the choice of buying eSIM online from eSIM providers shows that it is the most preeminent way today. Below, let’s take a look at the top best Thailand travel eSIM packages today and their respective providers.

IV. Top 5+ best eSIM for Thailand Travel and Providers Compared

Most eSIM providers in Thailand currently offer similar eSIM packages in terms of speed, with the main difference being the number of packages and prices. Here we choose the top best eSIM packages for tourists in Thailand. 

First, let’s take a look at the summary table:

Notes:

(*): 5/7/10/15/30 days

(**): 1/5/7/15/30 days

(***): 5/7/10/15/20/30/60/90 days

(****): 1/3/5/7/10 days

👉 Now, let’s start to review top eSIM for Thailand travel in details by provider:

1. Thailandesim.com

Thailandesim.com is an eSIM provider for tourists visiting Thailand. It is a subsidiary of the GIGAGO company, based in Vietnam. Despite being a new player in the market, Thailandesim.com has outstanding advantages over its competitors because it focuses only on the Thai market. This means that the packages are diverse and cater to the needs and budgets of many different customer segments. 

Currently, Thailandesim.com has the largest number of eSIM packages available. You can choose from 13 different packages depending on the length of your trip and your data usage needs. These packages are available for Thailand only and regions including Thailand.

Local eSIM plans for Thailand include:

• THAI 15GB – 8D Ultd: Unlimited data (with 15GB high speed data), for $8.9 – allow top up + hotspot/tethering
• THAI 30GB – 15D Ultd: Unlimited data (with 30GB high speed data), for $19.9 – allow top up + hotspot/tethering
• THAI 3 days: 3GB – 50GB total, valid for 3 days, for $4.90 – $62.90 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• THAI 5 days: 3GB – 50GB total, valid for 5 days, for $5.00 – $67.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• THAI 7 days: 3GB – 50GB total, valid for 7 days, for $5.50 – $70.00 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering

Regional eSIM plans that cover Thailand include:

• SING – THAI: Daily 1GB – 50GB total, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – 89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• MALAY – THAI: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• SING – MALAY – THAI: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• THAI – VIET – CAM: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• SING – MALAY – INDO – THAI: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• SING – MALAY – THAI – INDO – CAM: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5- 30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• ASIA 8 countries: Daily 1GB – 50GB, valid for 5/7/10/15/30 days, for $5.00 – $89.50 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering
• GO INTER 6GB – 8D Ultd: 6GB high speed data, valid for 8 days, for $24.9 – no top up, allow hotspot/tethering

2. Holafly

Holafly is a provider of eSIMs for tourists visiting Thailand. They have a strong presence in the market, providing products to over 190 countries and regions worldwide. In Thailand, they use 02 networks, DTAC and TrueMove H. Tourists can access the internet in most areas in Thailand, including urban, rural, and remote areas. 

The noticeable thing about Holafly is that they only offer Unlimited packages, but it is important to note that there is still a limitation to the amount of high-speed internet you can use before it slows down.

Holafly eSIM plans does NOT come with a local phone number, NO hotspot/tethering.

08 eSIM packages for Thailand from Holafly include:

• Unlimited data, valid for 5 days, $19.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 7 days, $27.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 10 days, $34.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 15 days, $47.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 20 days, $54.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 30 days, $64.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 60 days, $84.00
• Unlimited data, valid for 90 days, $99.00

02 eSIM packages for more than 12 countries in Holafly include:

• 6GB, valid for 15 days, $44
• 10GB, valid for 30 days, $54

At the time of writing this article, Holafly gets xx stars on TrustPilot.

3. Airalo

Similar to Holafly, Airalo has been in the eSIM market for quite some time (since 2019). Airalo provides eSIM for over 200 countries and regions worldwide. This provider has an app for customers to purchase, use, and manage eSIM. 

Using the DTAC network in the Thai market, Airalo’s eSIM is considered to have fast and stable network speeds. 

There are 8 eSIM packages for Thailand that customers can buy, but only 2 out of 8 are exclusively for the Thai market, while the other 6 are for the region including Thailand. This may be costly for tourists who only visit Thailand and do not travel to other countries. Additionally, Airalo has a variety of packages, but not much diversity in terms of usage days. 

02 packages available for Thailand:

• Unlimited data, valid for 8 days, $9.9 – NO Top up, allow Hotspot/tethering
• Unlimited data, valid for 15 days, $19.95 – NO Top up, allow Hotspot/tethering

06 plans for regions including Thailand: 

• 1GB, valid for 7 days, $5
• 3 GB, valid for 30 days, $13
• 5GB, valid for 30 days, $20
• 10GB, valid for 30 days, $37
• 50GB, valid for 90 days, $100
• 100GB, valid for 180 days, $185

4. Nomad

Nomad is a company that sells eSIMs for tourists all around the world. To use Nomad’s eSIM, you just need to go to their website and select your destination, then choose the suitable eSIM package or download the Nomad app and do the same. 

Nomad is great for short-term travelers, frequent travelers, and those who visit multiple countries on one trip. 

Nomad uses AIS network, which is one of the top 3 networks in Thailand with good quality. However, Nomad, like Airalo, Holafly, and Mobimatter, only provides data eSIM packages, not local phone numbers. The price is also not cheap compared to other providers. 

Nomad currently offers 5 unlimited packages for the Thai market:

• Unlimited data, valid for 1 day, $7
• Unlimited data, valid for 3 day, $15
• Unlimited data, valid for 5 day, $20
• Unlimited data, valid for 7 day, $25
• Unlimited data, valid for 10 day, $30

5. Mobimatter

Mobimatter is a mobile internet service provider based in UAE, established in 2018. To use Mobimatter’s eSIM for your Thai trip, you can purchase packages for Thailand only and the surrounding areas. They also have an app for customers, where you can manage and top up your eSIM. 

Compared to other providers, Mobimatter doesn’t have as many package options to choose from.

Here are 3 eSIM plans for Thailand travel of Mobimatter:

• 15GB, valid for 8 days, for $7.99
• 15GB, valid for 30 days, $9.99, used in both Thailand and Singapore
• 30 GB, valid for 30 days, $13.99, used in 11 Asia countries including Thailand

Below, we will discuss the pros and cons of each eSIM provider for Thailand travel to help you choose the most suitable one.

Thailandesim.com vs. Airalo vs. Holafly vs. Nomad vs. Mobimatter – Which one is better?

As conclusion, for Thailand travel, Thailandesim.com is better than Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, and Mobimatter. The reasons are:

• They offer more plans (including Thailand local and regional)
• They have more plans for short trips and for people with low data usage
• Their plans are usually cheaper than Airalo and Holafly
• They have plans with local phone number (that not all other competitors have)
• Their support is enthusiastic and quick
• The website is easier to use and requires fewer steps when buying an eSIM

We hope that this article has given you an overview of eSIM for Thailand, so you can choose the right package and provider for your trip and needs.